Baby pants



Nov. 28, 1950 F. w. ANDREWS 2,531,900

BABY PANTS Filed July 2l, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l ly-f- 15 I 2** INVENTOR.

FRL-:o WANDREWS.

m M W ATTORNEYS Nov. 28, 1950 F. w. ANDREWS 2,531,900

BABY PANTS Filed July 21, 1948 2 sheets-Sheet 2" Z/zy 5 7 l' r l/ *l G Y 1;. 6 1Q 1;;z 20 I 11 2 g 14 15 9 0 q G 11 o 12 14h12 5 45 |l||||v"" l 4@ ll'lw 1| Il INVENTOR.

FRED WANDREWS.

vPatented Nov. 28, 195() Fred,W..Ai1drews, Beyer, Del., assigner to. Inter national Latex Qprpration, Dorm-5.1312521.. een.

errati@ if Delaware Applicationlul-y 21. 19487;--Sverialllogl 395993 aimf. (CL

This invention relates to .baby pants and more particularly to baby pants for use as a-protectve; covering for diapers. The invention is especially adapted for dipped latex or the like seamless ar..- ticles.

Objects of the invention are: to provide an improved garment of the character described; which may be readily applied and removed..with a minimum of handling of the baby; which .prof

vides supplemental support around the abdomen ofthe baby; which provides improved means :tor-` securingfthe garment in position when in use;A and which provides means for removal and Wash: ing of the garment when soiled. without neces--i sitating the handling of thesoilecl body portion oi-.the garment.

Further and other objects, features and advan-V tages of the invention will more clearlyappear; from the detailed description given belowv taken in conjunction with the accornpanyingv drawings, illustrating by Way of example a preferred einbodiment of the invention, and in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the garmentin fully. open or flat position, as viewed from the inside;

Fig. 2l is a longitudinal sectional View taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalviewY takenon' line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged View taken at line, .el-.1.4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. l but showing the garment in partly folded position; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the saidv device. inv fully folded position asA when in use.

Referring to the drawings and more particu.-v larly to Fig. 1: the device is designated in general as I and is of flat sheet-like formation, made.

of thin pliable waterprooi-` material, preferably-- thin elastic material such as rubber latex. This sheet-like member l is fashioned so as te be folded about a baby in the forni of pants andf. is imperforate, at least throughout its main body area. More particularly, the member I comprises al front panel 2, a rear panel 3 and an inter.: mediate crotch portion. 4 defined byv arcuate ref. cesses disposed on opposite. sides of the member to form a crotch portion of substantiallyA less width than the Width of the panels 2 and 3.; the arcuate recesses dening side edges 5 and. E .ofthe crotch portion which constitute leg encircling portions when the garment is in use. The4 outer end 7 of the front panel 2 constitutes a .partof the Waist encircling portion and the outer end 8.of-J the panel 3 constitutes a complementarypart ofthe Waist encircling-portion when thagarrrient 23. isi-n use. "I-he-.o1riposite..sidel edgeseand I il. of the rontnpanel 2.'.preiierably.- converge ina direction toward. the. outer-.edge so..asterhetter4 conrerm; to the body shape of the wearer.

A pair. of: snap fastener elements.. Il; anadisposed. adjacent.- the.. yedgelal, .onabeing disposed near the crotch..sida dandone being .disposed near .the pane-1 end: .'I 1 and` asimilar pair.v etnias: tening elements. I2 are.. similarly situatedg .but

spaced-laterally inwardlyefromgthe. pair ofa ments. Ifl` Likewise pairs of. fastening elements I; and;` I4. are similarlypositioned; .with respect toJ the opposite. edge lil... Preferably these ..fas= tening-.elements are thel.studv .or...malecomponent 1 Withjthe studextending. outwardly from-the rear sideA or. the.garment...(seev Eig.. 4);. A pair' of. fas; teni-ngy elements |55; complementary@ Aand .adaptaed; .fora cooperative engagement: oneor. Athe other pairs. of. elements II- and l1, are poste tioned adjacent .the. correspending .edge ofthe panel alwit'h their .engageable- .openings .facing in.: Wardly... Likewise apair-of.fasteningielementsz L6- are` similarly.` disposed.` .on the. opposite side. ot panelv 3.. vThe .pairs-Lof .elements .i5-fidare spaced apart laterally..aidistance-.somewhat greater. than thefwidth oi- .the panel. 2,..for.purposes. .taba-mere particularly: pointed? nutv hereinafter.

The panel.; 3; .fis-4 provided with. oppositely; dis;- posed naps: Iland luextending outwardly be. yondthe respective.V pairs,A ef fastening .elements I.5;anc1r Infor` purposes. to.. be; more particularly pointed outhereinafter. It. is .to be. understood that thex `fastening..eleinents' 11E-...i6 are dispnsed on the.flarlsiiI andl L8 respectively,. iniorderY `that they may be positioned .overxeither one of: cooperating fastening elements on the front panel when the pants; are ,folded a manner. hereinaterfdescribed.` @One otfthe iiaps.. such as.. 13; furtheris providedrzitha, pair of laterally spaced snapiastening. elements.. I-S. and the .other1.vtlap such .as I.8f,. farther.. is. provided with; asnap. fas: teni-ng element, Lsuchas .20;.a-dapted1ior conpena.- tive.. engagement,v oneor the Aother. .of the fastening 1 elements.. L9.: when; the parts.l arend-is;- pgtsed in the position to befpointed ,outhereim a er.

yThe memherr la spreferably fer-med byl dipping, in a. mannerf'welal lnow-n,..to. those skilled inthe art;` and'. in itspreferred form. is provided ,withl a continuousy marginal reiizifnrcement` preferably formed loyfthe accretionumethod knowntothose skilled in the art.Y .See Figs. 2 and-v3 which show the .preferred vform of; .marginal reinforcement; The rubberfsheetbeing qn-itethin, forl example the .einbodimentgillustrated'ihayingl a.- thicknesslof the order of .012", it is desirable to reinforce the portions at the snap fastener locations. I have found that a highly desirable and satisfactory means of reinforcement is provided by taking thin pieces or patches of suitable fabric such as nylon fabric, coating these with a thin coating or latex, applying these to the form used in making the dipped article and thereafter dipping the form carrying the patches properly located thereon in liquid latex. This results in the surface of the formed latex layer next to the form merging with the rubber covered face of the reinforcing patch and the latex layer building up over the outer face of the rubber covered fabric patch to completely cover the same.

Referring to Fig. 4: the fabric patch is designated as 2|, the inner layer of rubber thereover as 22 and the area of the member l overlying the exterior face of the patch 2| being designated 23. The snap fastener, such as I4, is secured through the reinforced area defined by the fabric patch 2 I It is to be understood that each of the y snap fastening elements are reinforced in a similar manner.

When it is desired to apply the garment to an infant the infant is placed face upwards on the inner face of the garment (Fig. 1) with the, upper edge 3 of the garment at the infants waist. The panel 2 is then folded upwardly and over the panel 3, in the approximate position shown in Fig. 5, the flap portions il and I8 are then folded inwardly over the front panel 2 and serve as means of readily holding the garment in folded position transversely around the infant until the snap fasteners I and l5 are snapped into engagement with one or the other of the corresponding pairs of fastening elements H-l2 or iii-lll, depending upon the size of the infant. Thereafter the flaps lll8 are folded inwardly one over the other and the fastener element is snapped into engagement with one or the other of the cooperating fastener elements I9. The position of the garment when in use is clearly shown in Fig. 6, from which it will be seen that the flap portion ll-iB serve the dual purpose of securing the garment in position on the infant and providing an abdominal support. As above mentioned, the flaps I- serve also as a convenient means of folding the garment around the infant and holding it in position while it is being fastened; and in addition to this the portions Il-I8 serve as means by which to hold the garment when the same is being removed and washed and thereby make it unnecessary for the grasping of the garment at the soiled body portion.

Having thus described my invention with particularity with reference to its preferred form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that other changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I aim in the appended claims to cover such changes and modifications as are within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

. 1. Wrap-around baby pants comprising, a thin highly elastic sheet-like rubber latexY` member having an imperforate central body area and fashioned to be folded into pants form, said member comprising front and back panels whose outer ends constitute waist encircling portions and an intermediate crotch portion whose opposite sides constitute leg encircling portions, said front panel being provided with outwardly facing 4 snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally' at the respective waist and leg encircling portions thereof, said back panel having oppositely disposed flaps extending outwardly beyond said fastening elements carried by said front panel a combined distance greater than the lateral space between said fastening elements, said flaps being provided with inwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally a distance greater than the width of said front panel so as to be positioned over the lateral edges of said front panel when in folded position and to cooperatively engage said fastening elements on said front panels, thereby to secure the pants on an infant, and said flaps being provided with additional cooperating snap fastening elements adjacent their respective outer ends disposed a substantial distance below the upper edge of said back panel for securing together said flaps over 1 said front panel.

2. Wrap-around baby pants comprising, a thin highly elastic sheet-like rubber latex member having a moisture impervious central body area and fashioned to be folded into pants form so as to provide waist and leg openings, said member comprising front and back panels, said back panel having oppcsitely disposed flaps extending outwardly beyond the side edges of said front panel, said front panel being provided with outwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally at the free edge thereof, said flaps being provided with inwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally a distance greater than the width of said front panel and adapted to cooperatively engage the fastening elements on said front panel when said flaps are folded over the edges of said front panel to secure the pants on an infant, said flaps also being provided with additional cooperating fastening elements disposed respectively adjacent the outer ends of said aps in a zone spaced a substantial distance below the upper end of said rear panel so as to secure the flaps in overlapping relation over said front panel at a point disposed a substantial distance below the free edges of said front and rear panels, thereby providing an abdominal support for an infant.

3. Wrap-around baby pants comprising, a thin highly elastic sheet-like rubber latex member having an imperforate central body area and fashioned to be folded into pants form, said member comprising front and back panels whose outer ends constitute waist encircling portions and an intermediate crotch portion whose opposite sides constitute leg encircling portions, said front panel being provided with outwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally at the respective waist and leg encircling portions thereof, said back panel having oppositely disposed naps extending outwardly beyond said fastening elements carried by said front panel a combined distance greater than the lateral space between said fastening elements, said flaps being provided with inwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally a dis' tance greater than the width of said front panel so as to be positioned over the lateral edges of said front panel when in folded position and to cooperatively engage said fastening elements on said front panels, thereby to secure the pants on an infant, said flaps being provided with additional cooperating snap fastening elements adjacent their respective outer ends disposed a substantial distance below the upper edge of said back panel for securing together said flaps over tral body area and fastened to be folded into pants form, said member comprising front and back panels and an intermediate crotch portion of a width substantially less than the panel widths, said back panel having oppositely disposed flaps extending outwardly beyond the side edges of said front panel, said front panel being provided with outwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally at the free side edges thereof and disposed respectively adjacent the end edge and crotch portion, said flaps bel ing provided with inwardly facing snap fastening elements spaced apart laterally a distance greater than the width of said front panel and adapted to cooperatively engage the fastening elements on said front panel when folded thereover to secure the pants on an infant, said flaps also being provided with additional cooperating fastening elements disposed on overlap end portion thereof and spaced downwardly from the upper end of said rear panel so as to secure the flaps over said front panel at a point disposed below the free edge thereof, thereby providing an abdominal support for an infant, and said sheet-like rubber latex member being provided with reinforced non-elastic engageable portions to which said fastening elements are respectively secured, said non-elastic portions comprising fabric inserts embedded in Said sheet-like rubber member between the opposite surfaces thereof whereby the non-elastic engageable portions may be grasped and the fasteners released without stretching the latex sheet.

FRED W. ANDREWS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,195,904 Bernstein Aug. 22, 1916 2,033,626 Gammeter Mar. l0, 1936 2,241,959 Potwin May 13, 1941 

